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Todd Kidwell will also serve 36 months of probation for the involuntary manslaughter conviction

Todd Kidwell reads an apology to family of Washburn University professor Glenda Taylor Monday in Crawford County District Court. (Luke Ranker/The Capital-Journal)

Todd M. Kidwell, a southeast Kansas motorist who pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Glenda Taylor on June 7, 2015, was sentenced Monday. (File photograph/Crawford County Jail)

Todd Kidwell, left, who plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Glenda Taylor, listens as her widower, Joe Saia reads a statement in Crawford County District Court. (Luke Ranker/The Capital-Journal)

GIRARD — A Chanute man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Washburn University art teacher and administrator Glenda Taylor, along with Taylor’s family and friends, remained somber as Crawford County Judge Lori Fleming delivered her sentence Monday afternoon.

Todd M. Kidwell, 38, will serve 60 days in Crawford County Jail, followed by 36 months of supervised probation.

Kidwell was handcuffed immediately following the sentence. With tears in their eyes, his wife Leslie and other family members rushed to comfort him.

It is not the sentence Taylor’s widower, Joe Saia, had hoped for. During an emotional statement, Saia called for the maximum prison sentence — just over 30 months — for the charge of involuntary manslaughter, a felony. Taylor died on a narrow Crawford County road in the Spring 2015 after Kidwell’s truck crashed into her bike, throwing her hundreds of feet.

In November Kidwell pleaded guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge and unlawful passing of a bicyclist, a traffic infraction. As part of the plea, a second infraction of reckless driving was dismissed.

Saia told the judge he hoped a strong sentence would “give teeth” to a seldom-obeyed Kansas law that requires three feet between a vehicle and a biker while passing.

“I know incarcerating Mr. Kidwell will not bring back my Glenda. I’m not out for revenge,” he said before his voice choked up. “Your sentence will send a message that hitting and killing a bicyclist will not be tolerated.”

Kidwell’s attorney, Linus Thuston, asked to court to consider a probation-only sentence, citing testimony calling Kidwell an active member of the Chanute community and the need to support his family. After the hearing, Thuston said he expected a similar sentence.

“You hope for the best and expect the worst,” he said. “Sixty days are a lot easier to come back from than years in prison.”

Friends and family of both Taylor and Kidwell packed the courtroom with about 50 on each side of aisle. Fleming cautioned the crowd to remain silent as she read the sentence. No one reacted during the sentencing, but tears and condolences were exchanged on both sides following adjournment.

Kidwell told the court he pleaded guilty even though his attorney advised him not to because he needed to “take responsibility” for Taylor’s death.

“I had a responsibility to Mrs. Taylor,” he said. “I know you probably hate me, you have every right to. I need to make amends.”

Taylor, 60, was riding in an amateur time trial on K-146, near the outskirts of the Crawford County town of Walnut, on the morning of June 7, 2015, when Kidwell’s pickup struck her bicycle.

Kidwell told investigators he was attempting to pass Taylor as they both moved eastbound when another truck approached going west, according to court documents The Capital-Journal obtained. He moved as far to the left as possible to avoid Taylor, “but that she swerved left when he attempted to pass her,” Crawford County Deputy Chris Hall wrote in the affidavits.

The impact threw Taylor more than 50 yards, according to the report. Hall wrote that he didn’t believe Kidwell took evasive action before the crash.

“I’m the reason Mrs. Taylor is not here,” he said in court. “I shouldn’t have tried to pass her.”

Along with jail time and probation, Kidwell must also submit to a mental evaluation, write an apology letter and do community service. The driving infraction carries a $75 fine, and Kidwell must also pay more than $300 in court costs.

Saia gave an emotional speech in court, frequently choking up while reading statements from both her family and the Washburn University community.

“She made me want to be a better person and taught me to color outside the lines,” Saia said of Taylor.

He called Kidwell “reckless,” “ignorant and “a danger,” saying prison was the only sentence that would ensure the safety of other drivers. He mentioned two speeding tickets Kidwell received after the collision with Taylor, but Fleming wouldn’t allow the tickets to be admitted as evidence.

As part of the plea, the state agreed to stand silent during sentencing, meaning Crawford County District Attorney Michael Gayoso couldn’t call witnesses, introduce evidence or counter evidence and witnesses introduced by the defense. Before the November plea, Kidwell had been scheduled to stand trial starting Dec. 12 in Crawford County District Court in Girard, about 145 miles southeast of Topeka.

Before making her decision, Fleming said she would focus on whether Kidwell’s incarceration would benefit the safety of the community.

“You should consider yourself very lucky,” she told Kidwell.

All nine witnesses Monday told the court prison time would be a detriment to the Chanute community and Kidwell’s family.

Three Chanute Police officers testified that Kidwell acted as a father figure for area boys who frequent his car repair shop, including Jacob Ellison, a Chanute teen who told the court Kidwell essentially raised him as his own for the past eight years.

Ellison told the court the accident had changed Kidwell, making him depressed and remorseful.

“He hasn’t been Todd. He hasn’t been himself,” he said.

Kidwell’s wife, Leslie, echoed those claims and said he has suffered from “sleepless nights” and “night terrors” since the crash.

She told the court her husband was vital to maintaining consistency for two twin 13-year-0ld boys with autism the couple raises.

“Their whole structure will be destroyed,” she said.

The Capital-Journal was the only Topeka news media in the courtroom Monday.